Sonic X Season 4-ish Thing
by Miss Hyper 99
Summary: Pretty much what happens to Shadow after Sonic X. I don't have a better name for it than that. Full Summary inside. Rated for violence and death. WARNING: If you watched the cruddy 4kids dub of Sonix X, go watch all the episodes in Japanese with English subtitles RIGHT NOW before reading. Thank you. If you don't like OCs don't read. GOODBYE NOW. OR MAYBE HELLO, IDK.
1. Cascade's Survivors

**Full Summary: **

**Cascade was once an amazing place, but after the Meterex destroyed it, it became barren with few survivors. Even with the Meterex gone, the inhabitants struggled to survive. A family one day stumbles upon someone interesting, and he'll change their lives forever. Will the family's youngest daughter be able to find the cure for her dying father, and if she does, will she make it back alive with it? Will her older sister stop her before she can even leave? Read to find out!**

The Planet Cascade. passerby's would never guess that it was once a successful empire, a futuristic land with modern cities and amazing technology, because the place now seemed deserted. All though the Meterex had now been defeated, Cascade's troubles weren't over. The few survivors still had to find food, clean water, and shelter until the cities could be rebuilt, if they ever _got _rebuilt, which was doubtful. The few who still had standing houses were lucky. A group of those lucky few consisted of Tiana, a fox, her father, and her little sister, Calypso.

Calypso was a dark orange fox with neat, light-pink hair, dark blue eyes, a short cyan shirt with sleeves that came to her elbows and a purple flower, purple skirt, white belt, light-pink flip-flops, a lavender headband and a necklace with a yellow heart charm. She rolled two dice onto a game board, and proceeded to move her game piece that number of spaces.

"How long do you think it will be until he wakes up?" She asked, pointing to their 'guest' passed out on one of the three beds in the house. Her voice was quiet and sweet, and her words carefully picked. She was very polite, the opposite of her older sister, Tiana. Tiana was also a dark orange fox, but her hair was black and messy. Her eyes were two different colors, one amber, the other ice blue. She wore a lavender shirt, with a dark purple jacket over it, that stopped just after her elbows. She had black shorts, and a black belt, with little plastic silver gems every inch. Her gloves were black and had no fingertips. She had black flip-flops, a headband identical to her sister's, fake gold hoop earrings, on one arm she had a black, spiked bracelet, and on the other, fake gold ones.

"I don't know, and by the way, you're on my property. Gimmie fifteen bucks," Tiana replied. Her little sister was seated on the floor, while she was seated on the couch, her feet lazily resting on the arm. Calypso sighed and handed the multi-colored fake money to her. Tiana smiled triumphantly.

"You could be nicer, y'know. You're already winning." The two foxes turned their attention to their father, who they didn't even know was watching them. Calypso stood up and rushed over to him.

"You are supposed to be resting! You will _never _get better if you do not!" She exclaimed, trying to lead him back to his bed. Her father chuckled.

"We all know I'm dying. Why not let me live out my last days happy?" He said. Clearly Calypso wasn't meant to answer the question, so she just frowned. "I see he hasn't woken up yet?" their father said, glancing at the 'guest'. Calypso shook her head, while Tiana added a reply with her head-shake.

"No, he hasn't. I bet he's mean, too, and won't even thank us."

"It is not like _you _ever thank anyone," Calypso commented. Tiana shrugged as she rolled the dice.

"Guess you're right," she said. She whooped after she got double sixes, and moved her piece. Calypso returned to her spot on the floor, and their father pulled up a chair from their table and began watching his daughters play.

They all turned their gazes to the corner where they had layed the stranger as they heard a low moan. But only Calypso stood up and walked over as he opened his eyes. His blood-red eyes.

He was an obsidian-colored hedgehog with red stripes, the same color as his eyes. He glanced around, taking in his location, then glanced at his wrists, realizing something was missing. He sat up and glanced at the fox in front of him.

"Who are you? Where am I?" He asked. His voice matched how he looked.

"I-I am Calypso, and you are in me and my family's home," Calypso said. "T! Father! Come over here, please!" She called. 'T' was Tiana's nickname.

"Comin' Callie!" Tiana yelled. 'Callie' was Calypso's nickname. Tiana rushed over, not paying any attention to her father, who was struggling to walk over, but still coming, slowly.

"W'sup," Tiana said, bringing her hand up, then down as a way of waving hello. "I'm Tiana. Call me T."

"I am Eclipse," their father spoke. "Welcome to our home."

"Am I on Cascade?" The hedgehog asked, his eyes darting around still. Calypso nodded. "What happened? How did I get here?"

"I am not sure what happened," Calypso began. "Me and T were going to fetch supplies, and we found you passed out beside a piece of metal stuck in the ground near what used to be the Resistance's base."

"Then we brought'ya here. That's about it," Tiana finished. The hedgehog lightly nodded. "What's your name?"

"My name is Shadow," he said slowly, as if still not fully trusting his rescuers.

"Wow, ya even have a gothic name!" Calypso punched Tiana's arm. "Oh, sorry." Shadow didn't reply.

"I should really be leaving now . . . " Shadow began to stand up, but Calypso pushed him back to sitting.

"Do you have a place to stay?" She asked. Shadow looked down and shook his head after a moment or two. "Then you have no choice but to stay here." He sighed.

"I suppose so . . . " he gave in. Calypso smiled, and Tiana rolled her eyes.

"Well, I believe it's about time to make dinner," Eclipse began, "Tiana, help me please?" Tiana sighed, but followed her father to the kitchen area in the one-room house.

"Would you like to come help me fetch supplies?" She began. "I cannot go by myself, and we never got any after finding you."

Shadow recculently agreed, and they began the long walk to what used to be the Resistance's base. They began chatting, and at some point, Eclipse got brought up.

"He's not quite . . . well, is he?" Shadow asked. Calypso suddenly stopped, and looked down. Shadow stopped as well. Silence lasted on for a few moments as Calypso gathered herself.

"I am very worried," she began quietly. "He is getting worse every day. His time is limited. Every morning I fear that when I wake up, he will be gone. I do not know what me and T will do without him. He was our guide through the Meterex attacks, telling us where to hide and when, and if we should run. I worry that we will not be able to live after he is gone." She was still looking down, as she tried to hide her silent tears. Shadow then realized who she was . . . just a little girl trying to be strong as her father died before her eyes, and a world decayed around her, in a family struggling to survive. He put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him with her tear-stained face and big eyes. It made her look even younger than she was.

"Come on, let's go get that supplies," Shadow said. He didn't have any comforting words to share, as he'd lost someone before and knew exactly how it felt. Well, more specifically, three someones. Maria, Gerald, and then Molly . . . who's grave they would most likely pass. "Why did you tell me all this?"

"I do not know, I guess I feel like I can trust you," Calypso answered. Shadow replied without hesitation.

"Well, you shouldn't," he said.

"Why not?" Calypso asked. She didn't get an answer.

They reached the base. It was filled with boxes, and the homeless. Outside was a ship, which brought in the supplies from other planets.

"One box for each person," Calypso began. "How many can you carry? T normally carries two and I carry one, but T is not here, and we need _four_ boxes."

"It's okay, you don't need to get me a box . . . "

"No, I insist. It is no problem," Calypso begged. Shadow had no choice but to agree and make the little fox happy. Shadow picked up two boxes. They were fairly small, but Calypso struggled to pick up the same amount, so when the top box fell off of her pile, Shadow caught it with one hand and added it to his.

"Are you _sure _you'd like me to stay with you?" Shadow asked. "I don't normally stay in a house anyway."

"Like I said," Calypso began, "it is no problem. Nothing is a problem unless it needs to be fixed." Shadow simply nodded and they walked back quietly.


	2. Mission: Hunt For the Cure

Shadow sat upright with a jolt after his nightmare had ended. It had been about Molly's death, which took place near this very spot. Nightmares were always so much more vivid than regular dreams, and most people would wish that was vice-versa.

He was sleeping on Calypso's bed. The generous little fox insisted that he sleep there and she would sleep on the couch. He had refused at first, but she ended up talking him into it. He was about to lie back down and get more sleep before daylight, but that was before he heard quiet sobbing.

He looked in the direction of the crying and spotted Tiana, sitting up in her bed, writing in a notebook. She didn't realize she wasn't the only one awake.

"Tiana?" Shadow said in a loud whisper. Tiana looked up, startled that she wasn't the only one up. "Are you okay?" Tiana nodded.

"Yeah . . . I'm fine . . . and please, call me T or Tia," she said, her voice cracking a bit.

"You don't look fine," Shadow insisted.

"I'm just . . . I'm sad because . . . " Tiana seemed mentally unable to finnish. She thought for a second before bursting out: "Non omnis fabula laetum habet exitum!" Shadow looked at her, confused. She quickly explained.

"It means 'not every story has a happy ending' in a language called Latin from a planet called Earth. I used to always get my hopes up a little to high, and dad would tell that to me. I'm worried that this story will have a sad ending."

Shadow stood up and walked over to Tiana. "Your story doesn't have to have a bad ending." He sat down next to her. "I can help you. Maybe there's a cure."

"Maybe . . . " Tiana was quite unsure. A cure for this mysterious illness seemed pretty far-fetched and too optimistic to be true, but what the hey, what other option was there? "There is _one _possibility . . . " She trailed off, pondering over her idea.

" . . . There's this flower . . . we call it the Miracle Bloom because it can do lots of stuff," Tiana began. "It's been able to cure other sicknesses, some almost as severe as the one dad has. Only one problem . . . "

"Hmm?"

"No one has seen it growing since the Planet Egg was removed. It's returned now, but I don't know if a Miracle Bloom will grow quickly enough for us to use it to cure dad. But I _do _know one way to find out if any has sprouted yet . . . "

Before they knew it, they were running through the dark night towards the Resistance base, with nothing but the stars guiding their way. In the base was a computer with data that could pinpoint where the Miracle Bloom might be. Tiana didn't know how to hack computers, but Shadow had fair knowledge of hacking, and somehow, they might be able to access the data needed to find the flower.

"Be careful," Tiana said, her breath quick. "There'll be police looking for anyone trying to break in. They'd arrest us in a second if we were spotted." Shadow wouldn't worry about that if it was just him, he could probably take them down easy. At this point, it was Tiana he worried about if they got into a battle.

Soon they reached the base. The were careful not to touch the wall or doors, in case they were alarmed.

"How will we get in without knowing which doors are alarmed and which ones aren't?" Tiana whispered/asked. Shadow didn't have a good answer.

"I suppose we'll just have to guess," he said. They began circling the building for a back door of any sort. When they passed windows, Shadow glanced inside, and sure enough, there were guards and police of all sorts inside the place, counting supplies boxes, watching the security cameras, you name it. Good thing they hadn't been spotted yet.

They found a door that looked at least kinda safe to enter. But of course, as soon as Tiana touched the handle, an alarm went off. And it was _loud. _Tiana cover her ears, muttering sarcastically: "Oh, perfect. Just our luck."

In seconds, they were surrounded by police. Some had guns, too. They were in big trouble.

"Tia!" Shadow said. Tiana looked at him. "Run!"

"Where?" Tiana replied.

"I don't know! Just run!" Tiana nodded, and scanned the group surrounding them to find any gaps. As soon as she spotted one, she dashed away, leaving Shadow to deal with the authorities.

"What business do you have here?" One stated, stepping forward and pointing his (presumably loaded) gun. Shadow didn't answer, simply stared.

"We're not afraid to _fight_, y'know," the man said. Shadow got into a fighting stance, taking this as an invitation to battle.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn ya!" Then the man started shooting. Shadow dodged all of the bullets, and the solders stared with wide eyes, thinking, _'What did we just get ourselves into?'_

More gunshots rang out through the night, echoing off the dead canyons. Shadow dodged every single bullet with precision timing. He didn't want to fight back, because he didn't want to hurt anyone, but he was afraid that would be his only option soon. He couldn't dodge bullets forever.

Shadow came face to face with the man who had spoken. The two had a little staring contest for a bit, but then, the man fell to the ground, passed out. Shadow looked and saw Tiana, with a clenched fist, in somewhat of a fighting stance. She grabbed his gun off the ground.

"I couldn't find a place to hide," she shrugged.

"Help me take the rest of them out?" Shadow asked. Tiana smiled.

Soon all of the solders lay passed out on the ground. Tiana had figured out how to use a gun, and they were inside, trying to hack the computer.

"Ah! I can't figure out the dang password!" Shadow exclaimed out of annoyance. Tiana, who had been watching the whole time, looked at the keyboard, then the screen, then thought for a moment before reaching over and typing something in. The computer gave them access.

"How did you . . . ?"

"Lucky guess," Tiana shrugged. Shadow looked at all the files, avoiding one labeled "Dead Resistance Members", knowing Molly's name would be on the list.

"What about that?" Tiana noticed, pretty much shoving Shadow out of the way to check it out. The file was named "Mystery Illness". Tiana double-clicked, opening it, and inside were wo documents: "Possible Cure", and "Symptoms". Tiana looked at the one named "Symptoms" first. She then read aloud.

"The Mystery Illness symptoms are barely noticable when first the sickness begins to take over someone's body, but gradually become more noticable as it grows more and more severe. The symptoms that occur are as follows: extreme weakness and fatigue, confusion, nausea, hallucinations, and odd reactions to some energy waves or spikes. The only symptom that is fully noticable in the early stages of the illness is odd reactions to energy waves or spikes." Tiana then hit "Print", and it printed the document. She could use this information later. "This means that dad isn't the only one who has the illness!" She then continued on to read the on named "Possible Cure".

"The two possible cures for this illness are as follows: a naturally grown Miracle Bloom, or a medicine made from diamond dust. The earlier, however, is easier to find and consume than a capsule filled with diamond dust. The only known place where the Miracle Bloom is growing naturally currently is down by Coldwater Ravine, where the planet egg was extracted and returned, and where life has begun to spread." Tiana then threw in her own comment. "Coldwater Ravine!? That's _ages _away!" She then printed the second document as well, and picked them up.

"I don't know how we'll get there, but we _have _to find a way," Tiana began. "C'mon, let's go before the police wake up."

"I'll . . . uh . . . be there in a sec," Shadow said. Tiana nodded and ran off. Shadow then clicked on a file labeled "Supplies Ship". It read:

NEXT TWO WEEKS WILL BE RECIVING SUPPLISE FROM:

MOBIUS


	3. The Brink of Chaos

"Hurry! We have to get back before Callie wakes up!" Tiana exclaimed in a whisper. The sun was rising, and the two still hadn't made it home yet. Shadow nodded, and zoomed ahead in a gold blur. Tiana stared in pure awe.

Shadow waited for Tiana before opening the door, to an angry-faced Calypso standing right in front of it.

"Uh . . . I can explain . . . !" Tiana said, pushing past her sister and walking inside. She headed into the kitchen area and grabbed a water bottle, unscrewing it and taking a sip.

"You'd better," Calypso said angrily. Tiana went and sat on the couch, followed by Shadow. Calypso sat on the chair.

"Take a look at this," Tiana said, handing her sister the documents she printed out. Calypso scanned the papers, seemingly uninterested, but when she began to read the part about the supposed cure, her eyes became wide and she began taking in and remembering every word. After a few moments of no sound but rustling paper and Tiana sipping her water impatiently, Calypso finally put the documents down and spoke.

"We _have_ to go to Coldwater Ravine," was all she said. She rushed over to her bedside and picked up a backpack, unzipping it and beginning to pack things in it.

"We need to plan first!" Tiana said, worried for her sister's safety. She ran after, Shadow simply standing up.

"But . . . " Calypso began to speak, but abruptly stopped as they all heard the sound of an impact outside, as if something had landed on the ground after falling a long ways.

The trio all rushed to the door and peered outside. The first thing they noticed was a small hole in the ground, not far from the house, with a white glow coming from it. Calypso, out of curiosity, instantly rushed over and saw what was in the hole. It was a large white gem, the source of the glowing. She picked it up, and found that it was quite warm. After a few seconds of her holding it with both hands, she suddenly dropped it, yelping. Tiana and Shadow rushed over.

"What _is _that thing?" Tiana asked. Shadow knew, but he still had a question.

"Why did you drop it? Is there something wrong?" Shadow said, picking up the gem. Calypso looked at her hands for a brief moment before answering.

"It . . . burned me!" She answered. "What is that thing?"

"This is a Chaos Emerald," Shadow said. Calypso began to further inspect her hands, which had not been badly burned, but still hurt. Tiana took the Emerald from Shadow suddenly.

"Why did it burn her?" Tiana asked. "It's not hot. A little warm at most." Calypso looked at them both, confused and almost in a panic.

"How . . . how can you hold it without feeling how hot it is?" She asked. Shadow looked down at her, thinking over a theory.

"Can I . . . try something?" He asked Tiana, who gave him the Emerald back. "I don't know what'll happen, but if I'm right . . . "

He took the Emerald and used Chaos Control to teleport him and Calypso just a few feet away. Instantly, Calypso twitched.

"Ow . . . " she mumbled, rubbing her head. "Now I have a headache."

Shadow sighed. "I think you have the illness."

"What!?" Tiana and Calypso shouted in unison.

"On the document it said that someone who had the illness would have odd reactions to some energy sources and waves. A Chaos Emerald gives out energy, and she's reacting oddly."

"Okay, now I agree with Callie. WE HAVE TO GO TO COLDWATER RAVINE!" Tiana shouted, rushing back inside. Calypso followed, still rubbing her head a bit. Shadow, as an afterthought, set the Chaos Emerald back in the hole it had landed in, so that Calypso and Eclipse wouldn't be effected further by the energy, hopefully . . .

By that afternoon, they had everything packed that they'd need for their upcoming adventure. A collapsible tent, food, water, ect. They were ready to leave on an adventure they'd never forget.

"Good luck!" Eclipse waved to them as they left, each a backpack in tow. Just as an emergency backup, Shadow also grabbed the Chaos Emerald.

**A/N**

**Sorry for it being short, but it's just a filler. More adventure and action (and violence, just be warned), is coming soon. Thank you, everyone who's supporting this story! It really means a lot to me!**


	4. Untrustworthy Alliances (Part 1)

"Can we stop? It's getting dark, we've been walking for hours, and my headache's getting worse," Calypso complained.

"FINE, as long as you stop complaining about your stupid headache!" Tiana exclaimed. She dropped her bag down on the ground. There was no real need to find a good spot to camp, since it was all the same anyway.

It was right about this moment that Shadow had begun to notice something odd about Tiana. While both her and her sister shared a certain innocence, Calypso continued showing her innocent but brave face twenty-four seven, while Tiana often changed from rude to innocent. Possibly she had always been rude, and her father dying before her eyes let this innocence show through? Or vice versa? Whatever it was, it was certainly an odd fact about this girl.

They began to set up camp, and eat. Calypso had gone streight to sleep because of her headache. Shadow couldn't help but feel responsible because he brought the Chaos Emerald.

"So," Tiana began, while eating still. "After we got the info, what did you stay back to look at?"

"Nothing," Shadow lied. Tiana could obviously tell it was a lie.

"It wasn't nothing, if it was, you wouldn't have stayed back," Tiana commented. Shadow sighed.

"Fine, you caught me," Shadow admitted. Tiana let out a triumphant "Hmph!"

"Alright then, what did you stay back for?" She asked, in almost a stalkerish-ly curious way.

"I . . . I was looking at the flight schedule for the supplies ship," Shadow sighed, defeated.

"You weren't planning on _leaving_, were you?" Tiana asked. Shadow sighed again, but didn't answer, pointing Tiana to the realization that he originally was planning on leaving, but he isn't now. "Good." Tiana said. They continued eating in silence for a few more wasted moments, before Tiana suddenly burst out "Who _are _you exactly?" She was going to add something else, but broke off as she and Shadow heard running footsteps, two people as it sounded, a yelp from a female, and then a crash, as if she had fallen. Then followed voices.

"Are you alright?" A man said.

"Not now. I will be in the morning, though," a woman replied.

"Here," the man said, then it sounded like he was digging around in a backpack. Tiana looked at Shadow, then said "I'm gonna go check it out," then left before Shadow could stop her.

Tiana went in the direction of the voices, and found them. A young couple as it looked, both with brown hair, tattered clothes, lack of sleep and dirty. They must have been some of the homeless. The woman had a rather large looking cut on her ankle, and blood was getting all over the ground and her shoes. The man was digging in his backpack, possibly to find some bandages.

"Hello?" Tiana called, loud enough for them to notice her, but not too loud, in fear of waking Calypso. Both the strangers looked at her.

"Who are you?" The man said, in a somewhat protective and aggressive tone.

"I-I'm Tiana and I wanted to know why you're out, if that's okay with you," Tiana said, trying to match the man's tone but failing with her afraid stutter.

"We have no home." The man stated flat-out. Tiana nodded.

"Okay, I'll just be going then . . . " she said, walking off.

"Hey kid!" The man called her back, as he began to wrap the woman's ankle with bandages, that were already beginning to get bloody.

"Hmm?" Tiana mumbled, turning around.

"What're _you _doin' out?" He asked. Tiana was a bit hesitant, but told him.

"I . . . I'm looking for a Miracle Bloom," she said, almost not saying it because of the danger present. The man's eyes grew wide for a second, before his face grew hostile and he grabbed a knife from his backpack.

"Then yur a threat." He walked up to Tiana, slowly, and Tiana was so intimidated that she didn't move as he neared her. But she did speak.

"Shadow!" She called.

"Tia?" Shadow called back. He ran over, in a flash of gold, and as soon as he saw the sich, punched the man in the face. He went skidding across the ground, and now he had a bloody nose. The man stood up.

"Lookin' for the Bloom? The cure to the illness? Well too bad, 'cus _I'm _gonna be the one ta get it!" The man ran towards the two, which proved to be useless after he received a punch to the gut and fell to the ground once again.

"C'mon Tia, let's go," Shadow said. Tiana nodded and they started to walk off, only to be interrupted by the man speaking again.

"I ain't done with you yet!" He yelled. He ran at them again, and effectively tackled Tiana to the ground, holding the knife up to her throat.

"I'm not afraid to kill you if I have too," Shadow warned.

"And I ain't afraid ta kill her, either," the man said, not taking his eyes off Tiana. Shadow looked at Tiana, and the fear in her eyes, and instantly it hit him like a bullet. The same fear that was in Maria's eyes, just before she was shot. And the same fear in Molly's eyes, when that missile was about to hit her, just before Shadow jumped in and saved her.

Shadow all of a sudden tackled the man. He was the enemy at this point. They engaged in a sparring match for a little bit, when abruptly, the man worked up enough muscle to fling Shadow away temporarily, using the extra time to rush over to Tiana. After he'd killed her, he'd get the other one, and they'd be out of his hair and his worries. Tiana yelped and fought as he began cutting her neck, struggling to break free. But the man didn't have much time, as Shadow had him off her in no time at all. But that still left her with the cut on her neck.

Tiana's world slowly became more blurry and she passed out


	5. Untrustworthy Alliances (Part 2)

**A/N**

**Hey! I know I normally put these at the ****_end _****of chapters, but I decided to put this one here because I can. I might even edit this out later, I don't know. Anyway, I just wanna say that if this chapter is late, or short, it's because we just had a spike in temperature weather wise here where I live, and my computer gets really warm really fast, so the lack of me typing is because It requires me to have my hands on the computer, when I'm already warm, and my hands start sweating like CRAZY. So, sorry for TMI, but that's my problem in a nutshell :P**

Tiana slowly came back to reality. Her vision was still a bit blurry, as it normally is when you first wake up in the morning. She blinked a few times, and it began to go away. She could was vaguely aware of a bandage on her neck, and voices all around her. Two strange ones, Shadow, and Calypso.

"We are truly sorry. We were just trying to be protective of our only hope. You would, too, if you were in our situation," spoke a strange voice, a young woman's.

"Yes. We both have the strange sickness, and the flower seemed our only hope. But now, possibly us, her, and her father may be cured if there is enough of the plant," a second strange voice, a young man's, spoke.

"We are glad for the alliance," Calypso said, tiredly. Tiana could tell she was still corrupted by her headache.

"Yes. Now we just need to hope that she'll wake up," said Shadow. Just as he finished saying this, Tiana began to stir, so they took notice.

"T?" Calypso sort of whispered, walking (stumbling) over.

"Callie? What . . . oh, wait, I remember . . . " Tiana said, trying to sit up. Her senses were now (somewhat) at full alert. She could see clearly that the two voices she didn't recognize were the man and woman from before; the one who attacked her and the one that tripped and had a cut leg. Based on what they had been saying before, and counting on the fact that she hadn't been hearing things, Tiana guessed that the two groups were now together, somewhat trusting of each other.

"So, we're teamed up with _them _now?" Tiana asked, pointing her thumb almost accusingly at the two newcomers.

"Yeah, ya got a _problem _with dat, girl?" The man spat back. Tiana crossed her arms over her chest, not responding.

"Stop it! We're allied now, so there's no use in fighting over it," the woman said. "My name is Veronica and this is my boyfriend, Carter. We both have the sickness and are only trying to survive."

"Mmm-hmm . . . " Tiana mumbled. "I'm Tiana but call me T or Tia. I'm assuming my friend and my sis have already introduced themselves."

"Y'bet they have. And they're _much _nicer than yur comin' across," Carter said, obviously not still fully trusting of Tiana. Of course, anyone who didn't know Tiana wouldn't trust her at first, as she didn't normally trust people very easily. But for some reason, that was different with Shadow. She didn't know why, she just felt like she could trust him. Of course, she wouldn't trust anyone easily that had tried to _kill _her.

"Well I might have trusted you sooner if you hadn't tried to _kill _me," Tiana mumbled. Thankfully, no one had heard.

Later, the group was packed up and on the move again. Calypso and Tiana were in the lead, because they knew where Coldwater Ravine was, Carter and Veronica were in the middle, because they knew somewhat where it was, and Shadow was in the back because he had no idea whatsoever where it was.

After about twenty minuets of walking in tense silence, Tiana slowed her pace and fell back, by Shadow.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," Tiana began. Then she gave him an odd, questioning glare as they continued walking. "Who _are _you exactly?"

Shadow sighed. "I . . . I'll tell you, if you answer one thing: why are you being so cold to the new members of our group?"

This time Tiana sighed, and hesitated slightly, debating on weather or not to answer and tell a secret she'd even kept from Calypso. The only other person who knew about it (that was still living), was her father. Trying not to tear up, she told her story, but fell back a bit more to make sure no one but Shadow heard.

"I'm gonna tell you something I've never told _anyone_, not even Calypso. It's important that you don't tell Callie, please?"

"I won't tell her a thing, I promise," Shadow said.

"When I was younger, before Callie was born, and my mom was still alive, I had an older brother. His name was Blair, and he was the best brother anyone could ever ask for. Any time he didn't spend playing with me or helping out with the family, he was helping the resistance. He must have been on every Meterex's most wanted list. One day, someone knocked on the door, and I went to get it because my brother was busy and my parents had gone out to get supplies. At the door was a friendly looking man. He introduced himself, and I did the same. He seemed really nice at the time, so apparently that made up for the fact that he had a gun on him. We chatted for a bit, and he said that he wanted to talk to my brother, so I invited him inside and called for Blair, saying that there was someone here that wanted to see him. I should have kept my mouth shut."

"The two went outside to talk, and I stayed inside, drawing in my notebook. After a few minuets I heard yelling, and the sound of someone being slapped or punched or both repeatedly. Then I heard a gunshot, but I didn't know that was what it was at the time, and the sound of footsteps running away. I was curious and scared, so carefully and slowly I went outside to see what all the noise had been. Instead of finding a specific answer, I found my brother's body, bruised, bloody and broken, with a gunshot wound in his chest. I didn't understand what had happened right then. After my parents got home they had to explain it all to me. I think I cried for about three days. I don't remember eating or sleeping in those three days, just a lot of crying and drawing in my notebook. (I couldn't write or spell quite yet)."

"A couple months later, when Callie was born, the same thing happened to my mom, only more forced because I recognized the man and didn't let him in, until he threw a rock at me. It hit my forehead and I still have a scar, I just let my hair grow over it so no one can see it." By now, Tiana had tears in her eyes that she was repeatedly trying to blink away. But it was no use as they soon spilled over and she began sobbing. Of course, this would not go unnoticed. Veronica turned around.

"What's wrong? Does your neck hurt?" She asked, in a motherly sort of way. The tone of voice didn't help, as it reminded Tiana of her mother and how she died. Tiana nodded, using it as a cover story. "I think I have some painkillers in here somewhere . . . " she said, digging through her backpack. Tiana wouldn't refuse them, as her neck did still hurt enough to distract her. But they wouldn't act against the pain that we most present to her:

Heartache.

**A/N**

**Another author's note? Two in one chapter? I know, a little bit much. But I just wanted to say sorry if this chapter made you sad (it made me sad, that's for sure)! And I also wanted to say that from here on out, the plot gets a little bit more twisted, dun dun DUNN! **


	6. One Crack Away From Shattering

The group decided to settle down for the night. Before they turned in, Tiana caught Shadow.

"Hey. You never told me who you are," Tiana nagged.

"I . . . I'll tell you some other time," he said. Tiana wasn't satisfied.

"Mmm hmm, sure ya will," Tiana said sarcastically.

"Really, Tia, I don't wanna talk about it," Shadow insisted. Tiana sighed.

"Tell me tomorrow?"

"Maybe."

"Yay!" Then Tiana rushed off to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Tiana woke up because her neck stung. She sat up and blinked her eyes a few times, before noticing that she wasn't the only one awake.

Their "allies" were talking over something. Tiana, careful not to let them know she was awake, eavesdropped.

"I feel so bad about hurting the girl. She was in tears yesterday!" Veronica said.

"Doesn't matter. They ain't our friends, just allies. Fur now, anyways," said Carter.

"What do you plan on doing?" Veronica asked, worried.

"Killin' 'em off. They're too much of a danger fur us. We might not get cured if they get ta the flower first!"

"Do you really think they're a threat? They're just a couple of kids for goodness sakes!"

"The two fox girls may be kids, but I've got a bad feelin' 'bout dat hedgehog. Shadow. He's no good, Ah'm tellin' ya!"

"Seems nice enough to me."

"There's somthin' off 'bout him. Ah just know it. You can choose. Kill 'em off, or leave 'em here."

Veronica hesitated with her reply.

"Give me the rest of the day to think about it." Then the two retired.

Tiana couldn't get the thoughts out of her head. Kill them? Or leave? She had a reason not to be too trusting. But now she had more problems. Should she wake the others and tell them? Or wait until morning? She didn't have enough time to finish her thoughts as she drifted into sleep.

In the morning, the first thing that popped into Tiana's mind was last night. She shot up, and realized that she had been the last one to wake up. She must have slept in after waking up last night. Then she remember Shadow. _Who is he? _

Tiana pulled Calypso and Shadow aside.

"Guys, we gotta get rid of our allies," she said simply.

"Why?" Calypso asked. Tiana looked quite serious.

"They're plotting against us! I woke up last night and heard them talking!" Tiana exclaimed.

"T, you were probably just dreaming or something. They're not going to abandon us!" Calypso protested.

"How do you know that?" Tiana accused.

"I don't. But I don't think they'd plot against us. It is easier to survive in a group, you know." Tiana sighed, defeated.

"Fine, but I still don't trust them," she mumbled. Calypso walked off, and Shadow was about too, but Tiana grabbed his arm. Shadow looked back at her.

"Just drop it. Both subjects," he said, breaking free of her grip and walking away to join Calypso.

**A/N**

**Short, I know, but I just wanted to get this out to let you all know that I'm not dead and to tell you this: after this update, I will not be able to update anymore until after June 23! I won't give many details, but I'll just sum it up. My parents are getting remarried in the church and it's been pretty hectic as we're still receiving RSVPs and trying to clean up the house for possible guests, and I've been really sidetracked. But don't worry, I'll get an update out soon after it's over :)**


	7. The Truth

**A/N**

**Hey guys! I got a break from wedding stuff so I decided to update :) But my summer will be a little hectic until August, because I'm gonna be in a play and rehearsal takes up a lot of my weeks. So, that means less frequent updates, but it'll be a lot of fun!**

Tiana frowned as she walked, far ahead of the group. No one believed her. No one listened to her. Even if she was right.

And then there was Shadow. What could be _so _bad about his past that he flung her away every time she asked him about it? What could be so bad that he didn't want to talk about it at all, or possibly, even think about it?

"T?" Tiana whipped her head around, surprised, as she didn't hear her sister catch up to her. "Care to share what's on ou mind?"

"Shadow," Tiana said glumly.

"What about him?" Calypso asked, curious.

"I keep asking him who he is, because there's something . . . weird about him. But every time I ask he shoes me away."

"Well, he has every right too. If he doesn't want us to know who he is, then he doesn't have to tell us," Calypso said. Tiana sighed.

"I guess you're right. I suppose I'm just a little worried about him. He always seems so depressed."

"Yeah, I know. I noticed that too," Calypso said. She was about to say something else, when Shadow ran up to them.

"I can't find Carter or Veronica!" He exclaimed. Tiana grew wide-eyed, as this meant she was correct.

"I was right, then!" Tiana exclaimed.

"I guess you were," Calypso said.

Shadow opened his mouth to comment, but quickly turned his head to the side as a loud _BANG _rang through the air and something razor-sharp sliced his shoulder open. He whipped around, paying no attention to his injury, and saw Carter, who had somehow retrieved a gun and was now pointing it at them. Veronica was hiding behind him.

"Dang! Missed 'im!" Carter exclaimed angrily. He then got positioned to fire again.

Thinking quickly, Shadow grabbed Tiana and Calypso. "Point me towards Coldwater," he said. Calypso pointed in the right direction, and then Shadow zoomed off in nothing but a gold blur, leaving the couple left behind wide-eyed and frozen in place.

After they were far enough away, Shadow slowed down. Calypso's eyes sparkled for a moment before she ran up ahead.

"Look! We're here!" She exclaimed. Tiana and Shadow looked around, too, and realized exactly where they were. They had reached Coldwater Ravine.

It was much, much more lush and green here, and just off a little ways was a very deep ravine with water rushing at the bottom. There were trees scattered around, and butterflies, birds and other bugs and animals scampering about. It was quite a scenic change from dry, hard, mud and rock.

Shadow quickly took a look at the wound on his shoulder before pulling out the emerald and healing himself with it.

"Okay, that's it. I wanna know who you are _really _bad right now," Tiana began. "I mean, the supersonic speed, the teleporting, and now this? What else can you do?"

"I can do a lot of other stuff, but if I did it now I might destroy the flower we're looking for," Shadow explained. Tiana stared at him for a moment and blinked before continuing.

"Please, please _please _tell us who you are!" Tiana begged. Shadow finally gave in.

"I will later, when I'm sure we're safe from that lunatic," he bargained. Tiana smiled. She was finally going to know who Shadow was.


	8. Promises

**A/N I am really worried everyone is going to kill me for this chapter. So please, don't kill me D: You've been warned. I imagined the second ending from Fullmetal Alchemist to play at the end of this chapter. I'll put a little note saying where I imagine it to start. Link (take out spaces): www .youtube watch?v=LSIHK9 4IFiM&list= FL8d8hAKY 45W9HpjIdg SBidg**

Tiana sat on a rock, troubled. Calypso and Shadow were over looking for the flower, but she was sitting there. Shadow had just spilled his entire past, and now Tiana felt bad about pestering him so much about it.

"Hey, T! You gonna come help us look or what?" Calypso shouted. Tiana's head snapped up and she smiled lightly.

"I guess so," she agreed. Standing up, she rushed over to where they had begun searching.

The bloom wasn't hard to miss, it was fairly large and glowed white. But the grass there was quite long; and it grows in single buds, not bushes or patches. It had petals that unfurled like an exploding star, white and glowing. The stem was thick and sturdy, and was the color of turquoise; with leaves ruffling up it in the same shape as the petals.

"I'm sorry," Tiana said to Shadow.

"What for? You deserved to know," he replied.

"Yeah, but, it just seems like such a painful memory. If I hadn't been so nosy, you wouldn't have needed to say anything."

"Actually, it was kinda good to get that off my chest."

"Really?" Tiana began using her hand as a vizor to search for places they hadn't already looked.

"Yeah. Now can we just look for the flower? We're wasting time."

The threesome continued to look for it; but not finding it. They searched over places they'd already looked, over and over and over. And they had begun to lose hope.

"It's not here, is it?" Calypso said glumly. Not realizing how close she was to the edge of the ravine, she took a step back, and the soil gave way. She screamed as she began falling. But she didn't fall far, as Shadow grabbed her hand just in time and kept her from falling. But her eyes were fixed on something that only she could see, as it seemed. Shadow began to pull her up, but she objected.

"Wait," she said. "Don't pull me up. There's something down there!"

"What?" Tiana asked.

"I don't know, but it's glowing. I can't see from here, we need to find a way to get further down in the ravine," Calypso said.

"Could it be the Miracle Bloom?" Tiana said, getting a little closer to the edge than she probably should and peering down.

"We have to find a way to get down there!" Calypso exclaimed, ignoring Tiana. Shadow pulled her up.

"I doubt there's anything we can use to get down there. The only thing I can think of now it Chaos Control," Shadow said. "Calypso, stand back."

Shadow then Chaos Controlled down into the ravine, exactly where the glow was. There, struggling to grow in the dry, sandy dirt, was a Miracle Bloom, in full blossom.

"It's a Miracle Bloom," Shadow confirmed, shouting up the ravine. The two sisters looked at each other with joyful faces; and both shouted down: "WELL THEN PICK IT!"

Shadow grabbed the flower and then Chaos Controlled back up, a smile creeping its way onto his face. Sure, he'd saved the galaxy, and Earth, but that wasn't the same as saving, or even just helping, someone individually, especially someone you knew and loved well.

Before Shadow had the chance to give Calypso the Miracle Bloom, Tiana lunged forward, and hugged him, nearly toppling him over. He was surprised for a moment; but returned the embrace after a few moments. A smile had plastered itself onto his face. He had done it. He had actually saved an individual for once, rather than letting one person die while everyone else continued on living. Then, breaking away from Tiana, he began to laugh. Or giggle, almost. For once in his life, he was _happy. _

"What?" Tiana asked. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Shadow answered simply, handing Calypso the Bloom. "I . . . I just haven't been this happy in over fifty years is all!"

"That makes you sound really old," Calypso smiled. Looking questioningly at the flower, she spoke again. "What do I do, eat it or something?"

"I don't know . . . " Shadow began, but froze when Calypso's eyes grew wide and her face twisted in a painful expression. "What? What is it?" He said urgently. Calypso began to cough. She looked down at the ground and continued coughing. And drops of blood splattered on the ground from her mouth.

"Calypso!" Tiana shouted. Her coughing became more violent, more blood splattering on the ground, until she collapsed. Revealing the knife lodged in her back. "Callie?" Tiana said quietly, kneeling down next to her while Shadow went to see who had thrown the knife. "Don't close your eyes please just don't close your eyes," Tiana said, fast and jumbled, beginning to panic. Struggling, Calypso's eyes slowly began to close, and her hand holding the flower closed tighter around it as she fell unconscious. Then Shadow ran back, holding the Emerald, and Chaos Controlled them all away.

They ended up back at Tiana and Calypso's house. By the time they arrived, Tiana had totally panicked.

"Why did you do that!?" She yelled. "The Chaos Energy will have killed her if she wasn't dead already!" Rushing over to her sister on the ground, she took two fingers and pressed them to her neck, shifting them a few times, her expression saddening each time. **_(I imagine the ending theme to start playing right about here)_**

"She . . . " Tiana looked down. "She . . . she's gone. She's dead." Tiana began sobbing. "But, there's still a chance . . . " She ran into the house, and looked around, rushing back when she found the evidence. Her father had also died. She was the only one in her family left. She rushed over to Shadow, wrapped her arms around him, and began crying. Just sobbing. And this time, Shadow didn't hesitate to return.

"

Non omnis fabula laetum habet exitum," Shadow said. "Not every story has a happy ending. And clearly, I should not try to save people's lives. This is the third time it's failed on me."

"I . . . I guess I should have realized. Real life isn't like those stories where there's always a happy ending. Sometimes the ending isn't so good," Tiana said. Shadow pulled away from the embrace, a determined look now on his face.

"Who ever said this was the end?" He said. Then he began walking away.

"Wait!" Tiana called, "Where are you going?" She began walking after him. He stopped, and turned around to face her.

"There's a supplies ship I need to hitch a ride on," he said simply. Then he continued walking without further thought.

"Wait!" Tiana called again. Shadow didn't stop walking. "Can I come with you?"

"No," Shadow said.

"But why not?"

"Because, I'm coming back. And I'm bringing help. We're going to rebuild Cascade, I promise."

**A/N Well, sorry if I made you sad. I kept putting off this chapter because I didn't want to write about Callie's death :( I plan on continuing for a few chapters, and then wrapping up on this. Someday I may make a rewritten version with better writing, description, character development, and more chapters, but I have two other stories I need to work on after this. WARNING: Next couple of chapters may contain Shadouge!**


	9. Trapped

**A/N**

**Vs;u[dp Vp,rd Nsvl Yp :ogr**

Three days after Shadow went missing . . .

Rouge stood at the door of the new house in the neighborhood, a frown placed on her face, arms crossed over her chest, and boot toe tapping lightly on the ground. She had rung the doorbell about five times now; and still hadn't gotten a response.

'I wonder what that egghead wants me for anyway . . . ' she thought. Eggman had asked her to come over to his house - he'd just built it - for some reason, but she didn't know why yet. He said he had something to give her, but what could he possibly have that Rouge would want?

Finally, the door opened, Eggman himself standing there.

"Hey, Eggy, what's shakin'?" Rouge asked, a slightly annoyed tone of voice.

"Well, I just wanted to give you something, because I have no need for them and I figured you'd want them," Eggman said, reaching into a pocket that Rouge didn't even know he had. Out from it he pulled two golden rings, which had been separated from their owner. Rouge uncrossed her arms, and steadied her balance on both legs, growing a bit wide-eyed. She grabbed both rings with her gloved hands; and held them close to her heart.

Two weeks later . . .

Rouge found herself in a familiar situation as she had exactly two weeks ago as she stood outside Eggman's door with him in front of her in the doorway.

"Alright, you said you needed to see me? Again?" Rouge said. Eggman nodded.

"Show you something, actually. Come on in." Eggman ushered her inside, and although skeptical, Rouge agreed to come inside. She followed him into the livingroom, and sat down on the couch. He sat down on a rather large recliner. "Alright, you can come to the livingroom now," he said. Rouge's face took on a confused look, but after having one glance at who came in the room from a hallway, her expression twisted into something much happier. She stood up, and stared at the ruby red eyes she thought were gone forever, almost unsure if she was dreaming or not. Deciding it was reality, she rushed up to him and threw her arms around him, at wich he was unsure how to react. But he didn't have time to, because she pulled away in a few seconds.

"You . . . it's really you . . . " she said, stunned.

"Yes, it's really him," the doctor said. "He came to me saying he needed to see you for something, but he didn't know where you lived. Oh, and by the way, I gave you something two weeks ago that he'll probably want." Rouge looked at his wrists, remembering the rings.

"Oh, yeah. Those are at my house," she said, beginning to regain her composure and heading for the door.

"Oh, and Rouge," Shadow grabbed the bat's wrist and she turned her head. "I . . . I need your help with something." Rouge turned her body all the way to look at him. "I need you to gather everyone. Sonic, Amy, Tails, everyone, and bring them to the loading dock just outside of town. Tell them to pack for a long trip. I need all their help . . . and your help . . . with something really important. Do you remember Cascade?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Rouge asked.

"We are going to restore it to all its former glory."

About three hours later Rouge met Shadow at the loading dock with Sonic, Tails, Amy, Cream and Cheese, Knuckles and the Chaotix. The ship would take off in less than thirty minutes with them on board, they would be stowaways. They were all packed and ready to go. They had loaded in the small space where they would ride and the ship took off.

"Here," Rouge said, holding out her hand. On her palm rested two golden rings, which seemed to shine brighter at the presence of their owner. Shadow silently took them in his hands and slid them on his wrists. They continued the rest of the journey in silence.

They landed on Cascade and stepped out. The first thing Shadow noticed was Tiana. The Miracle Bloom that Calypso had been holding was clasped firmly in one hand and she was staring blankly at the ship. Shadow walked up to her.

"Tia?" He said. Tiana didn't move a muscle but her jaw.

"I can hear her. I can hear her voice inside the flower. She's trapped inside the flower and I have to get her out!" Tiana shouted.

"Tia, who can you hear inside the flower?" Shadow asked, a sence of worry creeping into his conciousness and voice.

"Calypso. She's trapped inside the flower."

"Tiana, Calypso is gone. She is dead. She can't be inside the flower."

Surprisingly, Tiana snapped her head up to look directly at Shadow. Her face softened and she seemed to be able to move normally again.

"I . . . I saw her body disappear. I was about to bury it and place the flower on her grave, but I couldn't wrench it from her grasp. Then her body just turned to ashes and blew away, but there wasn't even any wind. The flower was still there so I picked it up and heard her voice."

Urgently, Shadow touched the bloom (and Tiana's hand). And he could. He could hear her voice crying out for help. Saying she was trapped. That she needed to be free. Quickly he took his hand off the flower and grabbed Tiana's wrists.

"We . . . we'll find a way to get her out of there, I promise." Tiana nodded.

"I see you brought help as you promised," Tiana said, gesturing to the confused group behind him using the flower. "Care to introduce me?"

Introductions were made and the group began to warm up to each other. Stories were told, and before they knew it, they were making plans to invade the central communications building.

**A/N Short, I know, just a filler. Well, kind of. I wanted to make it longer but I realized that if I made it as long as I wanted too it would be ****_too _****long, lol. Oh, and if you want a huge spoiler for the end of the story, try and decipher the little code I put at the top. If you want the end to be a surprise, then, don't try and figure it out. Peace off. Oh! Wait! I'm going be changing my pen name to Miss Hyper soon. Just so ya know. And sorry if updates on this are slower from now on, but I have about three or four other stories I'm supposed to be working on right now but aren't. ****_Now _****I can peace off.**


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